Russia Hedges Trump Bet: Dumping U.S. Treasuries to Safeguard Their Assets

Dump dollars for “safer” (I guess) currencies: Euros and Yen

(“Make America ___ Again” remind me)

Interesting article from Bloomberg.com and this short intro:

“Russian officials are hoping Vladimir Putin’s rapport with Donald Trump will lead to rapprochement with the U.S. But they’re not taking any chances.”

The story: The Treasury Department reported this week that appears to show Russia liquidating dollar assets at a record pace, selling four-fifths of their U.S. debt, some $81 billion, in over just a two-month period. 

That started back in April when the most onerous sanctions were put on allies of Putin (FYI: Putin BTW is reported to have personal wealth exceeding $200 billion).

The release caused a stir in the markets because neither the Treasury nor the Bank of Russia will comment on the transactions. And the data is murky, so it’s hard to know if Russia actually offloaded the bulk of its U.S. assets or simply transferred custodianship to a foreign entity to disguise ownership.

Sergey Dubinin (Russia’s central bank chief from 1995 to 1998, and who now sits on the supervisory board of state-run VTB, Russia’s second-largest lender) says there’s no mystery at all – that the sales were simply a prudent “hedge against confiscation,” which is a possibility that looks more likely every day. He said Russia has learned from Iran’s experience, and thus is simply converting its dollar assets into other currencies to safeguard their reserves against any attempts at seizure just like Iran. 

He concluded: “It would be silly to sell U.S. debt and then keep it in dollars somewhere else, so it’ most likely they bought other hard currencies and most-likely European Єuros or Japanese ¥en.”

The central bank won’t update details of its foreign holdings until later this year, but there are already some clues that suggest Dubinin may be right. Monthly statistics posted on the Bank of Russia’s website show that deposits in other central banks, international institutions and foreign lenders jumped by the equivalent of $47 billion in April and May. There’s no way to tell in which currencies those deposits were made exactly. 

Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina told Russian lawmakers last month who had expressed concerns about excessive holdings of U.S. debt that she was in the process of diversifying the central bank’s investment portfolio.

My 2 cents: I wonder if Trump’$ “inve$tment$ in Ru$$ia” are $afe or have been converted in other currencie$. 

You know, to keep them safe based Vlad’s financial advice? That is from one BFF to another BFF...  

But, also doesn't this prove that Trump does not Trust Vlad with his money? Hey, just asking.

Thanks for stopping by.

Wordsmithing Russian: Agent, Envoy, Operative, or Go-Between a Spy is Still a Spy

A big fish: NRA's Wayne LaPierre

A few hooks to help catch bigger fish

(Jindal, Santorum, Keene, Walker)

Call her any name you choose – she was working on the behalf of the Russian government and that is Vladimir Putin by any definition: Maria Bu-ti-ná (not pronounced Bü-tina).  A fascinating story and excellent article here from Vox.com re: Butina and her recent Federal indictment.

Introduction: Amid the sprawling scandal over Russian interference with the 2016 election, there’s long been an odd subplot over Russian ties to of all groups, the NRA. That according to McClatchy has been investigated by the FBI.

Now the arrest of 29-year-old Russian national Maria Butina on charges of conspiracy and acting as an agent of a foreign government has put those questions about the famous gun rights group on center stage. 

Despite the new indictment (which is not part of the overall Mueller Russian probe) the full extent of what happened remains mysterious.

(The full text of the Butina indictment is here in .pdf format 29 pages that was posted by the NY TIMES).

Details: It’s long been known that Butina and Russian central bank official Alexander Torshin have spent years cozying up to the NRA. For instance, they’ve hosted NRA bigwigs in Moscow, and Butina was a conspicuous fixture on the conservative conference circuit.

Now, our government alleges that Butina was carrying out a plan to influence American politics on behalf of a Russian government official (Torshin). The plan, they say, was to try to influence the Republican Party to be friendlier to Russia, by way of the NRA. But Butina didn’t inform government officials that she was acting as a foreign agent on American soil, which would be illegal.

Much of Butina’s alleged conduct seems to have involved socializing and attending political events, which may not seem all that dastardly. But, there’s much more to come. 

Our government has now alleged for the first time that Butina used sex — she dated and lived with a Republican political consultant referred to as person #1 in the indictment, turns out to be Paul Erickson, age 56-57, originally from South Dakota. 

Butina also purportedly offered another person (yet unnamed) “sex in exchange for a position with a special interest organization” (not named).

There are also Butina’s publicly known activities during the 2016 campaign, which aren’t mentioned in charging documents. 

For example, she was able to ask Trump a question about Russian sanctions at a public event at the Freedom Fest conference in Las Vegas in July 2015. In fact, Trump himself called on her to ask a question and that raised a ton of questions: His response was picture perfect. Why?

Butina also met Donald Trump Jr. with Torshin at an NRA dinner, and she reportedly bragged that she helped the Trump campaign communicate with Russia. Also, raising a ton of questions.

So, what was Butina’s plan to influence American politics?

The DOJ claims that around March 24, 2015 — as the 2016 presidential campaign was beginning to kick off — Butina emailed Erickson a proposal for a project called “Diplomacy,” apparently looking for his feedback. 

Her email itself had the subject line “The Second Pozner.” An FBI agent’s affidavit suggests that refers to “Vladimir Pozner, a propagandist who served in the disinformation department of the Soviet KGB and who often appeared on Western television.”

The Butina project proposal makes several assertions:

·        Republicans will likely win control of the US government in the 2016 elections.

·        The GOP is “traditionally associated with negative and aggressive foreign policy” toward Russia. But now could be a good time to improve relations.

·        The NRA has a “central place and influence” in the Republican Party since it helps fund political candidates and sponsors events.

·        Butina and Torshin already have ties to the NRA’s leadership, and she’s visited the US.

·        Therefore, Butina requests a $125,000 budget so she can participate in “all upcoming major conferences” related to the Republican Party before the 2016 elections.

Erickson soon wrote back to her with advice on her “special project,” including a list of potential media, business, and political contacts whom she should meet with “off the record.” 

He wrote: “If you were to sit down with your special friends and make a list of ALL the most important contacts you could find in America for a time when the political situation between the U.S. and Russia will change, you could NOT do better than the list that I just emailed you.

All that is needed is for your friends to provide you with the financial resources to spend the time in America to TAKE ALL OF THESE MEETINGS.”

So what we appear to have here is a plan to influence the Republican Party to be friendlier to Russia, based on the perceptive (and accurate) insight that the Republican Party is extremely beholden to the NRA.

All that too was months before Donald Trump entered the race, and when most believed the GOP would choose a more traditional (and hawkish) nominee, and not Trump.

Noteworthy: As for who was ultimately behind it? A more recent government filing also mentions that Butina refers to a particular “funder” who has “deep ties to the Russian Presidential Administration.” That is not Torshin but rather a Russian oligarch who has a net worth Forbes estimates to be about $1.2 billion. This person’s identity is not yet known.

My 2 cents: A lot more interesting material is at the lengthy Vox.com site.

The article is very good research document to bookmark. A lot more is to come as the indictment takes hold and the legal system kicks in to prosecute and possibly see her sentenced to jail (unless she pleas out and blows the whistle, say on Trump, et al), so stay tuned for the final chapter in this more open saga.

Thanks for stopping by.

Trump's Russian Messages: Mixed & Raise More Doubts About His Thinking Skills

The Putin two-step — Cheering in the background from FOX News

(A turnaround in only one day)

How to spell and define pathetically disgusting in the same sentence? Easy: FOX NEWS based on this – their weak-ass turnabout support for more Trump lies.

Trump one day after his Helsinki gaffe: “The Trump grammar test of his sentence he says should have been: “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia,” sort of a double negative. So you can put that in and I think that probably clarifies things pretty good.”

Actually, no, that does not clarify or satisfy anything except a weak BS excuse. Recall Trump told us all that he had the best Ivy League education, had the best words of anyone, and well just didn’t make mistakes in speech. Okay, how come he doesn’t know the diff between would and wouldn’t how to use them in a sentence?

The FOX BS based on the background to this point – only three days, BTW:

On July 16, Trump lost the support of even some of his closest allies when he questioned his own intelligence community and legitimized Putin’s denial of Russian meddling, saying, “I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia that attempted to interfere in the U.S. election. The next day, under intense pressure from aides and supporters, Trump made the laughable claim that he accidentally “said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’” during his press conference with Putin. He went on, “The sentence should have been, 'I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia’” that meddled in the 2016 election.

Many media outlets were quick to point out that the full context of Trump’s remarks indicated he was, in fact, accepting Putin’s denial of Russian meddling over the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion. But on Fox News, friends of Trump defied this reality and ran with Trump’s obvious lie:

·        Sean Hannity: “President Trump clarified his remarks from the summit, made it perfectly clear that he trusts our Intel agencies.”

·        Lou Dobbs: “Fortunately for [Trump’s critics], the president took pity on them and gave them a statement today to the effect he had misspoken,” and later: commented that Trump is “being as presidential and forthright and effective as any president in modern history, more so in my judgment,” but his critics “don’t want to play straight.”

·        Kristin Fisher: “This should go a long way to satisfy or at least quell some of the president's critics.”

·        Jesse Watters accepted Trump’s claim that his comment at the press conference with Putin as “a gaffe” and praised him for admitting his mistake, calling his admission “historic.”

·        Sandra Smith said Trump was “admitting he misspoke” while discussing Russian election meddling and “making it clear he does indeed support the intelligence community,” and she also called Trump’s dubious clarification “a walk-back to remember.”

·        Trish Regan: Trump “might have misspoken” because “perhaps he was tired.”

·        FOX & Friends parroted Trump's dubious excuse for his disastrous press conference with Putin: "He had misspoken."

·        Laura Ingraham and her panel complained that Trump’s clarification “wasn’t good enough” for Democrats or the media.

Then this very dramatic story – quite long and here for your review – pretty good article, too, in part this introduction:

Title: “After Trump's defense of Putin, sighs of resignation — but nobody's resigning (yet)”

How can they stand by and with him 

After siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence services, Trump found himself on the receiving end of some of the harshest intra-party criticism of his time in office.

From Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): He called it “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.

Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney (R-UT): Said it was “disgraceful and detrimental.”

Even FOX News, the president’s favorite channel, found itself unable to fully stand by the president, with anchor Neil Cavuto calling the performance “disgusting.”

This outrage has led to calls that Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats (R-IN), or Defense Secretary James Mattis should resign in protest and reminders of how Trump began his term attacking the intelligence community, including comparing them to Nazis. One member of the administration reportedly replied “Good question” when asked by CNN if anyone would resign over the summit press conference. Others dismissed the idea.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said that a resignation from Mattis or Coats would be counterproductive, saying: “It’s cutting your nose off in spite of your face when you have people who at least are giving good advice, whether the president takes it or not.”

As of Wednesday morning (July 18), no one had stepped down over Trump’s comments, but this again raises the question that many have asked throughout Trump’s term: “Why stick around for the abuse from your boss and scorn from much of the public and the mainstream media, even longtime friends, possibly even your spouse?”

It is impossible to overstate the disdain for Trump and anyone associated with him in elite circles in the Northeast and on the West Coast.

Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz doesn’t even have a job in the administration but recently complained that his endorsements of Trump’s legal position in the Russia probe are costing him prized invitations to cocktail parties on Martha’s Vineyard. What could possibly make it worth enduring such humiliation?

AG Jeff Sessions (R-AL) probably isn’t staying in his job out of loyalty to the president who has repeatedly bullied and taunted him. Does he stay out of a sense of duty to the nation, or loyalty to the administration’s policies? Should Coats remain despite being repeatedly undercut by the Oval Office because his replacement might not be as competent — or could resigning give him a larger platform to push back against the administration?

This story continues at the link above – enjoy.  

My 2 cents: Not much I can add to these two pieces about this extraordinary story except maybe to ask the this all GOP-run Congress: Why are you not doing your duty to the country that you always advocate in your floor speeches, so do your duty now to the public and get off your asses to work and stop this man and his madness, or at best: Work to remove him from office – and the sooner the better for the nation’s sake – not for your reelection prospects.

Thanks for stopping by.

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Post Helsinki: Fill in the Blanks to Give Putin What He Asked and Was Promised

My caption after I watched, listened, and read about 

that event in Helsinki

Rather long post, but easy to follow. As expected the headlines from Helsinki – no big surprise – enjoy:

“Trump says he believes Putin that Russia didn't

Interfere in the election”Trump says he believes Putin that Russia didn't interfere in election

Two sources:

The Washington Post here and from Trump’s most-hated “Fake News” agency, CNN here.

CNN included this headline from former CIA director, John Brennan. It is stunning.  

John Brennan: “Trump news conference performance nothing

short of treasonous”

  

President Trump emerged from his historic summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland saying he doesn’t “see any reason to think that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election,” adding: “I don’t see any reason why it would be. President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.”

Trump said the pair spent a great deal of time in their discussions on Moscow’s meddling. Putin told reporters that Trump raised the issue of the “so-called election interference” in their one-on-one talk, adding: “The Russian state has never interfered and is not going to interfere into internal American affairs including election process. Any specific material, if such things arise, we are willing to analyze together.”

Putin’s denial, and Trump’s seeming acceptance of it, flies in the face of the conclusions by six top U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

In early January 2017, the Office of the DNI (Director of National Intelligence) (former GOP Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) released a report concluding with “high confidence” that Putin “ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election.” 

Putin’s goals, the DNI report also said: “…were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency — and to boost Trump’s election chances.”

Noteworthy: Putin is that he did acknowledge that he preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton in the election saying: “Yes I did. Because he talked about bringing the US–Russia relationship back to normal.”

Trump said that while he has “great confidence” in U.S. intelligence agencies, he wants to know what happened to the emails missing from Hillary Clinton’s private email server, the Democratic National Committee server and those of a DNC staffer. 

Trump tweet: “Where is the server? What is the serving saying? What happened to the servers of the Pakastani (Note: Spelled Pakistani) gentleman that worked on the DNC? Where are those servers?”

Note: Trump was referring to a conspiracy theory that he and conservative media outlets have pushed that congressional technology staffer Imran Awan was a Pakistani operative who worked with House Democrats to steal government secrets. 

Earlier this month federal prosecutors charged Awan with making a false claim on a loan application but cleared him of violating any law related to the House computer systems. 

Then Trump went off on his standard Clinton rant: “Where are Hillary Clinton’s emails? Thirty-three-thousand emails gone, just gone. I think in Russia they wouldn’t be gone so easily. I think it’s a disgrace we can’t get Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 emails.”

Twelve Russian intelligence officials were indicted by a grand jury convened by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in connection with the hack of the DNC’s computer server and subsequent leaking of Emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta (via DC Leaks – website set up by those Russian agents passing as a valid American-owned website – it was Russian-backed).

During the summit, Putin said he would “look into the charges, and then he offered to help U.S. investigators.” Trump called it “an incredible offer.”

Putin the suggested that the U.S. and Russia form a “joint working group on cybersecurity.”

Noteworthy: That subject was something apparently both Putin and Trump discussed on the sidelines at the G20 summit in Hamburg last year. At that time, Trump appeared to backtrack on the idea when he said via a tweet: “The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn’t mean I think it can happen. It can’t.”

Now, Trump says: “An interesting idea.”

Earlier, Trump and Putin met for a private discussion — with each accompanied only by their translators — that lasted nearly two hours. The pair then met for an expanded hour-long working lunch with top aides.

Prior to their one-on-one sit-down, Trump expressed optimism that the talks would lead to “an extraordinary relationship” between Washington and Moscow.

“I think we have great opportunities together as two countries that, frankly, have not been getting along very well for the last number of years,” Trump said.

Most-Noteworthy from the Trump-Putin Press Spin:

Overall and in the run-up to this meeting, Trump blamed the tensions between the two countries, in part, on special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Then later in his remarks, Putin also blamed Mueller.

Or as Trump once tweeted: “Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now the Rigged Witch Hunt!”

Ironic and sick about that: The Russian foreign ministry promptly re-tweeted that Trump tweet adding: “We agree.”

I say: Hell why not: Obvious Russian goal is to keep Vlad in control with more fluffing of Trump – painfully obvious and damn worrisome.

  

My 2 cents: I watched and listened to the Trump-Putin press conference and have only a couple of observations and these two other posts I make that relate to the run-up to this Helsinki meeting here and here.

#1: Putin’s performance was spectacular and shows the seasoned cunning man he is with tons of intelligence training and experience vs. Trump who stuck to his previous attacks on our intelligence agencies, Mueller (and he and Putin were in tune on that point – I wonder why), and of course winning the election while still blaming Clinton and DEMS, or so it always appears, blaming them for his win.

#2: Trump came across more of a lapdog for Putin agreeing with him on just about everything.

What about the things we still don’t know about at their one-on-one meeting, and totally shows that he is NOT the “greatest and most-successful negotiator ever.”

One final note and my long-held observation: Why does the GOP always play the DEMS rigged and election and got “dead” people to vote, or illegal aliens, or people not qualified or registered, and other forms of “fraud” (99% not valid), yet they are willing to excuse the hard evidence against Russia and Putin in 2016 – that is 100% amazing to me – how about you.

Anyway, we now stay tuned to see any fallout or any movement whatsoever from that sideshow from the two top con artists in the business: “The Donald and His Handler, the Puppet Master Pootie.” 

*from the World leader’s moniker list.

======================================================

Afterthought: This story is kind of related to this Trump-Putin whatever we choose to label it as it shows the pathetic, mostly phony ways that Trump “makes deals, sees them backfire or fall apart, then he blames the side he was against all along.”

That story is about his recent steel tariffs now in place that are backfiring seen here from Bloomberg. The Trump administration is hitting back at what it considers unjustified retaliatory tariffs that were imposed in response to U.S. steel and aluminum duties.

The U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in his statement about the administration launching a formal challenges at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against China, the EU, Canada, Mexico, and Turkey for retaliating against Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs.

Trump earlier this year imposed 10% duties on aluminum and 25 percent on steel after finding imports of the metals pose a risk to national security.

Lighthizer said: “Instead of working with us to address a common problem, some of our trading partners have elected to respond with retaliatory tariffs designed to punish American workers, farmers and companies. We will take all necessary actions to protect U.S. interests and urge trading partners to work constructively” with the Trump administration to address overcapacity in both metal sectors.”

Backlash against Trump from Canada, China, the EU, Mexico, and Turkey saw them impose retaliatory tariffs on $23.4 billion worth of U.S. goods in response to Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum.

As I said, Trump blames them for their actions for the blame he laid on them. 

Just like him blaming the DEMS and Hillary Clinton constantly for him winning the election by blaming them for the Russian investigation and everything surrounding the 2016 outcome.

Thanks as always for stopping by. 

Trump Sells Trump: Most-Successful, Richest, Smartest Ever — Really Boastful Fraud

Holding hands after slapping her in the face 

(That's our President)

LONDON (AP) — President Trump advised British PM Minister Theresa May to “sue the European Union” to resolve the tense negotiations over Britain's impending exit from the bloc. Trump told reporters at a joint press conference with PM May that he had given the British leader a suggestion “that she found too brutal.”

PM May was asked on the Sunday BBC show with Andrew Marr what that Trump suggestion was, and she said with an amused expression: “He told me I should sue the EU. Not go into negotiation, sue them,” then she quickly followed with a laugh saying: “Actually we're going into negotiations with them” and quickly added, “Interestingly, what the president also said at that press conference was: ‘Don't walk away. Don't walk away from the negotiations. Then you're stuck.’”

Related story here (Slate.com).

Note: It wasn't exactly clear what Trump meant, but the revelation capped a series of explosive and undiplomatic remarks Trump made this week about PM May's leadership — especially her handling of the Brexit negotiations — as he made his first official visit to Britain, following the mess at NATO.

For Example: In an interview with The Sun newspaper — just as PM May was hosting Trump at a lavish black-tie dinner — Trump said her approach likely “killed chances of a free-trade deal with the United States.” He went on to say that he told her how to conduct Brexit negotiations: “But she didn't listen to me,” he said. Trump went on to praised May's rival, recently-resigned Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, who quit the post to protest May's Brexit plans. Trump later claimed Johnson would make a “great Prime Minister.”

Impact: Overall, the Trump comments shocked many in Britain — even May's opponents — and those comments couldn't have come at a worse time for May, who is facing a crisis over Brexit from within her own ranks. Her Conservative government is deeply split between supporters of a clean break with the EU and those who want to keep close ties with the bloc, Britain's biggest trading partner.

Related and in true Trump fashion: He said while leaving the NATO summit in Brussels for the UK visit:  “I think they like me there in the U.K.” 

Note: A You Gov  poll found that only 17% of Brits have a favorable view of Trump while a whopping 77% have unfavorable view. It’s unclear how his visit and public criticism of May might change those numbers. He is now staying at his golf course in Scotland ahead of the meeting in Helsinki with Putin.

“Отличная работа, Дональд” 

(Great job, Donald)

My 2 cents and summary of the “reel” Trump, “reel” meaning him in front of the cameras: He later sought to soften his criticism of PM May telling reporters at the joint news conference that she was an “incredible woman doing a fantastic job as Prime Minister.”

Then in true Trump fashion as he always does, and that is he backtracks his own words: He denied that he had criticized May, saying that the Sun tabloid did not print his complimentary remarks about the PM, but the Sun released an audio that proved otherwise which again proves the serial liar Trump is.

Then this – astonishing statement from Trump on CBS News Sunday with Jeff Glor, who asked the interview: “Who is your biggest competitor? Your biggest foe globally right now?” 

Trump: “Well I think we have a lot of foes. I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union but they’re a foe. Russia is a foe in certain respects.”

Wow: Russia is a foe in “in certain respects!!!” You need to clarify Mr. Trump – we wait with bated breath.

Trump then said: “China is a foe economically, certainly they are a foe. But that doesn’t mean they are bad. It doesn’t mean anything. It means that they are competitive. They want to do well and we want to do well.” 

Yep, this is Trump, the President of, by, and supposedly for the American public who in every breath it seems lowers our prestige, wipes out our dignity, takes away any respect that partners and allies have for us, and erases any honor for all Americans as the historically compassionate nation with open arms that we have been and cherish and honor for 242 years.

Trump is an awful person who lacks even the most-basic skills to govern, or even the basic knowledge of how our government and democracy works, or respect for any of the systems and dedicated people in office keeping us safe and secure within those systems except by his own standards and on his own terms, which we all can plainly see are both low to non-existent shameful standards. Shame on us.

Thanks for stopping by.

Trump's Failed Immigrant Family Policy: Now Morphed Into Job Creation Nightmare

One place, two views: Policy, planning, costs, outcome = lousy results 

Trumpenstein view of his immigration creation vs. the public view 

Wow – talk about Trump “jobs creation plan” – man oh, man this must be it … a pool a labor in the making for decades. Cite this startling story from here (Daily News via MSN) – so what’s in your wallet, Mr. and Mrs. Tax Payer?

This story is so complex and shocking I don’t know where to begin except with this short introduction from the article summary. 

Sadly, this newest and supposed  “good intentions initiative” is by any standard from this administration for whatever weak-ass reason they give almost always ends up in a mess – a total disaster just like this one. 

They will probably try and spin it as “a long-term immigration solution” to sustain the talking point: Make America Great Again, right – just my hunch.

How we got here: Back in April, the AG Jefferson “Jeff” Beauregard Sessions III announced a “zero tolerance policy” directing authorities to arrest, jail, and prosecute anyone illegally crossing the border, including people seeking asylum and without previous offenses. As a result of that new policy (spun as just like Obama’s) more than 2,300 children were turned over to HHS for safe-keeping I guess?

In a recently released report, the State Department decried the general principle of holding children in shelters, saying it makes them inherently vulnerable, saying in part in a report: “Removal of a child from the family should only be considered as a temporary, last resort. Studies have found that both private and government-run residential institutions for children, or places such as orphanages and psychiatric wards that do not offer a family-based setting, cannot replicate the emotional companionship and attention found in family environments that are prerequisites to healthy cognitive development.”

Some in the Trump administration describe the new policy as a “deterrent to future would-be immigrants and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and abject poverty in Central America, Mexico, and beyond.” 

(I note: Wow – a deterrent – so, I guess Trump’s immigrant family (including German grandfather and two wives from Europe were never deterred, or GOP Sen. Leader Mitch McConnell’s wife born in Taiwan, either, um? And, other posts related to this same view here and here (more GOP-Conservative hypocrites on this subject).

Steven Wagner, acting assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families — an HHS division — said the policy has exposed broader issues over how the government can manage such a vast system saying: “It was never intended to be a foster care system with more than 10,000 children in custody at an immediate cost to the federal taxpayer of over $1 billion dollars per year,”

Now the punch line – the long term impact and harm of this asinine Trump-Sessions-GOP policy from Dr. Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics:

“The longer a child is in government custody, the potential for emotional and physical damage grows. The foundational relationship between a parent and child is what sets the stage for that child's brain development, for their learning, for their child health, for their adult health. 

“You you could have the nicest facility with the nicest equipment and toys and games, but if you don't have that parent, if you don't have that caring adult that can buffer the stress that these kids feel, then you're taking away the basic science of what we know helps pediatrics.”

So, what is the story we are addressing – here in part from the link above:

SAN ANTONIO — Detaining immigrant children has morphed into a surging industry in the U.S. that now reaps $1 billion annually — a tenfold increase over the past decade, an Associated Press analysis finds.

Health and Human Services grants for shelters, foster care and other child welfare services for detained unaccompanied and separated children soared from $74.5 million in 2007 to $958 million in 2017. The agency is also reviewing a new round of proposals amid a growing effort by the White House to keep immigrant children in government custody.

Currently, more than 11,800 children, from a few months old to 17, are housed in nearly 90 facilities in 15 states — Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. They are being held while their parents await immigration proceedings or, if the children arrived unaccompanied, are reviewed for possible asylum themselves.

In May, the agency issued requests for bids for five projects that could total more than $500 million for beds, foster and therapeutic care, and “secure care, which means employing guards.” 

More contracts are expected to come up for bids in October. HHS spokesman Kenneth Wolfe said the agency will award bids “based on the number of beds needed to provide appropriate care for minors in the program.” The agency's current facilities include locations for what the Trump administration calls “tender age children, typically under 5.”

Three shelters in Texas have been designated for toddlers and infants. Others — including in tents in Tornillo, TX, and a tent-and-building temporary shelter in Homestead, FL — are housing older teens.

Trump's ongoing PR campaign of goodwill and political spin: Dispatch the First Lady for her latest fashion and photo op:

My 2 cents: Boy, I bet the GOPers in office in the regions are delighted at the money flow from this new source of “job creation” by Trump and just time for the midterms, too. They will without doubt spin it into their reelection campaign Ads and speeches, with passion for the kids and full cofferers, too. That is a sure thing – bet on it

As far as Trump goes he will as always take his pile of crap and make a delightful crap sandwich and sell it to his base: “The best sandwich ever, trust me, believe me. You're gonna love it, believe me.”

I am so disgusted at this new twist in this lousy immigration policy that I’m beside myself.

As I’ve said a thousand times in the past and again now, this is not the way solve any problem – these kinds of solutions only makes things worse and that my friends is NOT the role of government to make things worse. 

However, with this Trump administration, comprised of fools and greedy corrupt incompetents, it's SOP. 

Thanks for stopping by.